News & Events

GOVERNMENTAL NO TO POLAR HERITAGE

Fram has erected a building over the Gjøa - the first vessel through the Northwest Passage. Uninteresting, according to the Government, and will not help.

The first ship through the Northwest Passage was the Gjøa in 1906. The crew consisted of Roald Amundsen, Adolf Lindstrøm, Gustav Juel Wiik, Helmer Hanssen, Godfred Hansen, Anton Peder Lund and Peder Ristvedt.

The expedition localized the magnetic North Pole and Amundsen wrote stories about the Inuit people afterwards that people had never read before.

The Fram Museum is today the proud owner of two of history's most important polar ships, namely the Fram and the Gjøa. On the 11th of October, the latter was moved into her new house. Since 1972 it has been discussed that something must be done. And after 40 years it happened. A new protection building is now in place and next year we open new exhibits on the history of the Northwest Passage since the 1400s, there will be a separate airship department and also a corner where we will communicate important information about the High North today. Key issues here are: collaboration with Norway's arctic neighbours, climate change, new shipping routes and fishing.

Let us hope that the authorities will open their eyes and see the importance of Norway's polar history and the preservation of its cultural monuments for future generations.